


Rock N' Roll Without a Drummer

by castielanderson



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 09:46:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielanderson/pseuds/castielanderson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lawrence High is putting on a production of Hairspray, and as predicted, Dean Winchester is playing Link Larkin.  In a futile attempt to get close to Dean, Cas joins the tech team as a lighter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rock N' Roll Without a Drummer

Cas hasn’t been training very long – only a little before the musical’s rehearsals first started, but he’s really come a long way since he began.  Charlie was extremely skeptical when he first came to her.  (“ _Castiel Milton – star of the track team is interested in theater tech?  Something’s not adding up_.”)  Of course, he’d later confided in her the real reason.

Last year, Lawrence High put on a production of _West Side Story_ , and Cas was positively captivated by Dean Winchester’s portrayal of Tony.  He’d never really been that interested in theater, but then Dean had gotten the lead, and well – Cas was sold.

This year they’re doing _Hairspray,_ and of course Dean is Link Larkin.  The moment the cast list went up, Cas had gone straight to Charlie, asking if they needed any help in the tech department.  With a suspicious expression, she had told Cas that one of their light techs had graduated last year, and they’ve been looking for a new one.  Cas volunteered without any further questioning, and Charlie, though still confused, was grateful to have him aboard.

He’s been training now for the past twelve weeks, admiring the way different colors and effects look on Dean’s stunning features.  And, God – Dean’s voice.  Sometimes Cas is almost tempted to record it, just so he can have it later, because he’s pretty sure nothing could bring him down if he had an mp3 of Dean Winchester singing “Ladies’ Choice.”  (He’d probably jerk off to it too, honestly).

.

.

_Part I – Tech Day_

Today is tech day.  Long, exhausting, ridiculous tech day, and Cas is not looking forward to spending twelve hours working the lights, running every scene over and over again just to make sure he’s got everything working properly.

And of course, he doesn’t get off to great start.  Something’s faulty in the controls, and everything appears to be delaying.  He can practically feel Charlie’s frustration from across the theater, and he can definitely hear it as she shouts into his ear piece.

Halfway through “The Nicest Kids in Town,” a light actually explodes, scattering glass all over the stage as the actors scuttle into the wings.

“Okay,” Castiel says into his headset.  “That wasn’t me.”

Charlie lets out a noise of frustration.

Cas whips off his headset and switches off the stage lights, turning on the ones inside the house instead.  He hurries out to the stage, skidding to a halt right behind Charlie, who’s currently lowering the light rack.

“Is everyone alright?” Charlie asks, taking a step back and looking around.

Everyone mumbles a ‘yes’ except for Dean, who’s got a hand up to his forehead.  He pulls it down, and it comes away red, a piece of glass resting in his hand.

“Cas,” Charlie says.  “Go help him clean up while I figure out what the hell happened.  I don’t know what you guys plan to do, but I would suggest a break, since I’ll be cleaning off the stage.”  She turns to the director, raising an eyebrow.  “Take five?”

As the rest of the actors meander offstage, Cas follows Dean back to one of the makeup rooms.  As Dean checks out the cut in the mirror, Cas grabs one of the makeup sponges and runs it under cold water.

“Here,” he says, stepping up to Dean.  “Look at me.”

Dean turns, leaning forward a little bit as Cas dabs at the cut.  He winces, sucking in air through his teeth until Cas is finished and the bleeding has slowed.  It’s not deep, just a bit worse than a scratch, and once the blood is gone, it’s hardly noticeable.

As Cas chucks the used sponge into the garbage, Dean broaches conversation.

“How long have you been working lights?” he asks.  “I don’t think I’ve seen you around much before this show.”

“This is my first show,” Castiel replies, and he can feel a blush threatening to crawl up his cheeks.  “I – I wanted something more to fill up my time.  I have track, but I wanted something on the other end of the spectrum.”

Dean nods.  “Yeah, that’s right – you’re in track.”

 _Star of the track team_ , Cas wants to add.  _I beat the state record last year._   But he wouldn’t expect Dean to know that.  Track is not the most popular sport at Lawrence High; that spot is still reserved for the football team.  Cas just simply nods, grinning.

“I’m Cas,” he offers, and Dean returns his smile.

“Dean,” he replies, and Cas almost blurts out, “ _I know.  I saw you in the musical last year, and you were spectacular.  I’ve been dreaming about you singing me to sleep at night ever since_.”

Instead, Castiel just nods.  There’s an awkward moment of silence as he desperately hopes Dean can’t hear Cas’ heart pounding fiercely in his throat.  A minute passes before Dean clears his throat, and mumbles something like, “I’m – I’m gonna fix my stage makeup.”

Cas nods in reply, still unable to do anything else (and he’s beginning to feel a bit like a bobblehead), mumbling about how he should probably get back to his place in the booth. He stops in the doorway for just a moment, feeling the way his heart flutters as he watches Dean touch up the cut, mouth open as he concentrates.  Cas licks his lips, forcing himself to turn away.

.

.

The broken light doesn’t end up causing too many problems.  For the most part, it’s not a drastic difference, and where he does need it, he adjusts the lights, filtering them differently.  Of course, they’ll have to replace the bulb later, but for this show, it’s not an issue.

Things are running smoothly again – that is, until Dean steps out to do “It Takes Two.”  His suit is dark blue, the jacket covered in sequins, and his hair is coiffed up on top his head.  His trousers are skinny and snug, and with the spotlight shining directly on him, Cas has a nice view of Dean’s – erm, junk.  He tries not to focus on it, forces himself to look away, but it’s no use.  He feels like he’s suddenly entered a sauna, and he becomes horribly distracted by everything – by Dean, by the blush creeping into cheeks, by the way his palms are sweating – and he fails miserably to make his cues.

“Alright, stop, stop,” Charlie’s voice comes over the speakers.  “Cas – you alright?”

“I – y – yeah,” he stutters back.  “Yeah, I’m afraid I just – I simply got a little behind.”

“No problem,” Charlie replies.  “Let’s take it again from the top.”

Cas holds back a groan as Dean starts over, closing his eyes as he croons out the song.  This time, Cas refuses to watch Dean.  Instead, he keeps his eyes locked on the set behind him, not daring to look anywhere else.  They manage to get through Dean’s scene without another mishap and move onto the next one.  With more actors onstage, it’s easier for Cas to focus and keep his eyes off of Dean.

He manages to stay steady until lunch time, when they cut off after “The New Girl in Town.”  The actors and crew members move sluggishly to the green room, relieved to finally have a break.  Cas yanks the headphones from his head and massages his ear, walking over to the back corner of the room where his things are piled up on a lone chair.

He’s glad he brought a bagged lunch today; they only have an half-hour to eat, and it’d be hell to try and go get something from a restaurant.  He pulls the paper bag from his backpack and sits down at one of the tables.  He’s halfway into his sandwich when people start piling into the green room. Dean’s one of the last few to step into the room, and Cas chokes when he sees him.

He’s taken off his Link costume, but he hasn’t bothered to put anything else on.  He’s strutting around in a wife beater and blue boxers, not a care in the world.  Castiel feels his face growing hot as he tries to tear his eyes away from Dean – and particularly, his crotch.  There’s nothing separating Cas from Dean’s dick except the thing stretch of fabric, and he almost chokes again at the thought.

Someone whistles as Dean walks over to his bag, and he turns to find Jo Harvelle.  He smirks, reaching out to swat at one of her Penny Pingleton pigtails.

“Lookin’ sharp, Dean,” Victor Henriksen says with a smirk.

“If only the football team could see me now, huh?” Dean replies.

Cas feels a little swoop in his stomach as he catches the implications of Dean’s comment.  A touch of bitterness mingles with the ecstasy he’s feeling as he remembers rounding a corner last week at school, only to come face to face with a scene that sent shivers up his spine.  The school douche, Lucifer, and his cronies had been crowding around Dean, jeering at him as they hissed words at him like, _“fag”_ and _“cocksucker”._ Cas had wanted to do something, but he’d been rooted to the spot, forced to watch as Dean cowered in fear until Victor came to his rescue, telling his teammates to back off.

Lucifer had used to taunt Cas like that, but he’d laid off at the end of last year.  Cas had always thought it had been because of the state record and his sudden upsurge in popularity, but as it turns out, Lucifer had simply found another target.

Still, Dean’s good at shaking that stuff off, and that’s something Cas admires about him.  The way he doesn’t really give a fuck what people think about him – or at least if he does, he doesn’t show it.  He’s cocky, and he’s a smartass, but Cas knows there’s another side to him, and he’s seen it.  He still remembers the day back in freshman year, long before Dean came out and long after Cas did.  Lucifer had been giving Cas a hard time, and Dean had found him afterward, offered to help him to the nurse.  Cas is sure Dean doesn’t remember that.  They didn’t have a very long conversation, but it’s still a memory Cas holds close to his heart.

Cas pushes his food away as he subtly turns his head, watching as Dean hops up onto a table along the wall, stuffing his lunch in his face and talking to Victor around each bite.  He smiles and laughs and once, reaches up the back of his shirt to itch his back, riding up the front of it and revealing a strip of skin on his stomach.  Cas actually has to bite his lip and turn away, urging himself to stay cool.

Thankfully, lunch is over before he knows it, and Cas hurries back to the booth, giving himself a shake before he sits down and puts his headset back on.  As the actors mill around the stage, getting lazily into their places for the next scene, Cas takes a few deep breaths, calming himself.

The afternoon goes by at a much quicker pace, and Cas does a better job of focusing.  In the next five hours, they manage to get all the way up to “I Know Where I’ve Been.”  They’ve still got five more hours to go, but Cas hopes if they finish before that, they’ll be able to leave.  He’s already falling asleep in his seat, and he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to last until ten-thirty.  When the director finally calls for dinner break, Cas can barely push himself up.  He yawns and stretches before making his way slowly back down to the green room.

This time, there’s much less life.  People are still talking, still laughing, but it seems much of the energy has drained from the atmosphere.  And as Cas looks around, he finds many people curled up, choosing to rest instead of eat.  Dean is one of them, lounging in his underwear again as he sits with his knees tucked up to his chest, head resting against the wall.  Cas can’t help but smirk when he sees him.

Cas finishes his lunch-turned-dinner, keeping a subtle eye on Dean.  Dean’s not talking much this time around, but Cas admires the quiet just as much.  Dean keeps his eyes closed, smiling a little as he listens to Victor and Jo and Lisa talk.  As people spill out of the room and head back to the stage, Dean doesn’t move.  He coughs a little and shifts his weight, groaning to Victor about how tired he is.

“We’ve only got like three songs left,” Victor points out.

“I know,” Dean replies, and his voice is scratchy, “but I don’t think I can do it, man.  Ugh – my voice is so shot already.  Do you hear this shit?”

Victor laughs, clapping him on the shoulder.  “Just three more songs, Dean.  Three more songs.”

Dean makes a show of pushing himself up, and Victor laughs.  As they head out of the room, Cas stares, wishing he wasn’t so quiet and reserved.  He wants so badly to be in Victor’s position – to laugh and joke and rescue Dean from stupid jocks who’ve got it hardwired into their brains by society that being gay (or bisexual) is wrong.  He wants to shine on stage right next to Dean, but he doesn’t have the courage, and he supposes that’s why he’s a techie.

“Cas?”

He turns, finding Charlie behind him, clipboard in hand.  She’s smirking, an all too knowing look on her face.  “Oh, boy – you’ve got it bad, Cas,” she mutters, shaking her head.

He can’t find it within him to argue.

.

.

Somehow, everyone makes it through the last five hours, and Cas is practically dead on his feet by the time they’re finished.  After curtain calls, Dean falls to the stage, curling up right there in the middle of the crowd, laughing when Victor pretends to kick him in the back.

“Stop it,” he whines.  “Vic, stop – we don’t have understudies.”

“You’re gonna get trampled,” Victor says, and Dean just rolls his eyes.  “Come on – the sooner you get up, the sooner you can get out of those pants.”

“That’s a good point,” Dean says, and he hops to his feet.  “God, I can’t believe we’re finally done and I get to strip out of these junk-crushing pants.  Oh, God – what a relief.”

Cas can’t hide the blush that crawls up his neck as he trails behind Dean and Victor.  The two of them continue to tease each other as they head for the dressing rooms, and Cas departs, walking into the green room.  He grabs his stuff and hurries out to the parking lot, still reeling over everything that’s happened today.

Dean’s still way out of his league, but Cas hopes it isn’t that way for long.

.

.

_Part II – Opening Night_

It’s chaos, absolute chaos.  The show’s in an hour and a half, and everyone’s rushing around.  The tech team is running through sound checks, checking the lights, double-checking the props and the set.  Actors are getting into the costumes, doing their hair, and putting on makeup.  Others are running through lines one last time and going over songs just to make sure they’ve got all the right notes and lyrics.

One of the other lighters is doing most of the pre-show work, as Charlie doesn’t trust Cas just yet.  He’s already double-checked everything he’s working, so he decides to lay low in the green room, watching as people pass by – though it’s obvious he’s waiting for Dean.

Eventually, Dean does come in, dressed in his first Link Larkin costume, hair slathered in a copious amount of gel, and face slick with stage makeup.  He heads straight over to the piano, where their choir teacher, and the show’s vocal coach, sits.  Dean leans close to him, asking something, and their teacher nods, reaching up to flip through his sheet music. 

They warm up first, singing “bo”, “day”, “legato”, and “staccato.”  Once Dean’s done and ready, they begin running through Dean’s solos.  They start with “It Takes Two”and move straight into “Ladies’ Choice.”  From there, they move to “Without Love,” skipping through the other parts so Dean can focus on his, before finishing off with “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”

Which each note, each lilt, each rise and fall of Dean’s voice, Cas wonders if this is what falling in love feels like.  He’s sure it’s infatuation deep down, but paired with everything else – with the way Dean makes Cas’ heart skip a beat, with memories of Dean’s kindness lodged in the back of Cas’ mind, with the longing to know every last detail about Dean and his life and the person he is, Cas doesn’t count out his ability to legitimately fall in love with Dean.

As Dean sings, Cas watches him closely.  Watches the way he closes his eyes on notes that are harder to reach, or that come with a little extra soul.  He watches the way Dean’s lips move, curving around the lyrics.  He watches the way Dean moves his hands, opening and closing his fist as he gets lost in the music.  He’s a natural performer, and Cas feels a lump in his throat as a feeling rushes through him he recognizes as _pride_.  Dean’s amazing, so much more amazing than last year, and Cas feels lucky to be seeing this right now, feels lucky to have worked with Dean in this production.

Dean smiles as he finishes up, thanking their teacher.  He turns, and starts a little when he spots Castiel watching him.  Immediately, Cas blushes, twitching a little as he keeps from quickly hanging his head.  Instead, he forces a small grin, and Dean smiles back, waving his hand awkwardly.  For a brief moment, Cas worries that Dean’s going to come talk to him, but then Victor enters the room in his Seaweed costume, shouting, “Aye, Larkin!”  Startled, Dean turns, and heads over to him, and once again, Cas is reminded just how in over his head he is about Dean.

He sighs heavily, turning back around in his seat to find Charlie looking down at him, a wide smile on her face.  Cas closes his eyes, irritated.

“Charlie, don’t start – “

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor sounds as Charlie sits down across from him.  Cas opens his eyes to see her sitting with her chin in her hands, staring intently at him.  She bats her eyelashes, pouting a little.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cas says quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why – he didn’t reject you, did he?” Charlie asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I haven’t said anything to him,” Cas says, exasperated.  “Charlie, he’s – he’s _Dean_ , and I’m invisible.”

“I don’t think him smiling at you means you’re invisible,” she points out, and Cas shrugs, feeling as his stomach fills with butterflies.  He’d like to believe Charlie’s right, but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Still,” he insists.  “I’m – I’m not Dean’s type.”

“You could be,” Charlie argues.  “Come on – Dean’s never had a real boyfriend anyone’s known about, has he?  Maybe he’s really into shy, not-so-tech-savvy runners.”

“Well, we can only hope,” Cas mutters, resigned.

Charlie opens her mouth to say something, but instead, she reaches her hand up to her headset, scrunching up her eyes as she listens to someone speaking.

“I’m sorry, Cas,” she whispers as she stands up.  “I’ll see you later – wait, what? Can you repeat that again?”

Again, Cas is left alone, sitting hunched over at the table.  Sighing heavily, he rests his head on his arms, wishing it was already seven and he could get this stupid show over with.  Realizing just how little a chance he was with Dean is _really_ starting to bring him down.

.

.

Cas dims the house lights, rising the stage lights at the same time as the voiceover of their principal plays overhead:  _“Please, turn off all cell phones, pagers, and all other distracting devices.  Photography and video recording are strictly prohibited.  There will be a fifteen minute intermission about a half hour into the show, where everyone will be allowed to donate to the school’s drama program if they so desire.  But now, please enjoy Lawrence High School’s production of_ Hairspray.”

Cas turns on the filters, and dusty rays of yellow and blue hit the stage as a track of chirping birds sounds.  Lisa Braeden sits up in the tilted bed, stretching out her arms as she lets out a loud yawn.  The opening chords of “Good Morning, Baltimore”play, and she shimmies before hopping out of bed, singing the lyrics, _“Oh, oh, oh, woke up today feeling the way I always do,”_ giving the audience the first glimpse of her fat suit.

As the song fades out and Lisa takes her seat in the bright, yellow-lit classroom, Castiel already begins to grow bored.  He focuses solely on his cues, shifting the controls and hearing only the lines, seeing the signals the matter to him.  However, when Lisa and Jo head off to the side of the stage and the set splits, showing as the Corny Collins’ kids rush onstage, dancing and smiling, Cas perks up, body growing warm as he finds Dean right away. 

He twirls around Bela Talbot, who plays Amber Von Tussle, smiling bright and snapping his fingers as he steps and turns, moving with the beat of the music.  They go through the entire song, and then they’re lining up to do roll call, Bela starting them out.  They end with Dean, and as Jo and Lisa shriek, Cas can’t help but smirk, muttering, _“Me too, me too,”_ under his breath.

Cas has seen this production a good number of times now; he’s practically got the entire thing memorized, but there are still a few things that never change.  Like when Dean steps out to sing “It Takes Two” – Cas’ heart still flutters, and his knees go weak.  When he sings “Ladies’ Choice,” gyrating his hips and sending flirty smirks towards Lisa, Cas has to think about dead puppies to keep from getting a boner.  When he races down to the jailhouse and starts up “Without Love,” Cas’ heart clenches, and he wishes so badly that Dean was singing to him.  When Dean and Lisa lock lips during “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” Cas actually feels a small pang.

(There’s a whole backstory to that – involving last year’s production when Dean was Tony, and Lisa was Maria and they dated for three months before deciding to mutually end it.  Lisa has a new boyfriend now, and while Cas know she’s not the kind of person to ever cheat on Max, he still feels uneasy as he watches Dean and Lisa swap spit.)

The curtains come down, and the ending music starts.  Cas turns the lights to their final setting, and the curtains open, revealing the cast as they do the curtain calls.  Predictably, Dean earns the most applause, but the entire cast receives a standing ovation.  Cas is one of the first to join, clapping hard as a lump rises in his throat, watching as Dean practically glows, the smile on his lips splitting his face.  Cas is just so overwhelmingly _proud_ , so incredibly in awe of Dean’s abilities, and he hopes Dean knows how good he is.

After the show ends, and people mill about in the lobby, congratulating the actors and handing out flowers, Cas stays behind to help shut down the tech equipment.  When they’re finished, most of the actors have changed back into their regular clothes and are getting ready to leave. 

Except Dean.

Cas is walking past lobby when he sees the few stragglers milling about, and Dean’s right there.  He’s standing next to a kid Cas knows his little brother, Sam.  In front of them stands a tall, dark-haired man with scruff dusting his jaw and tattered clothes hanging on his body.  He says something in a low voice, and Dean reaches up, wiping his eyes, and Cas realizes he’s crying.  He stops in his tracks, but after a second, he sees that Dean’s not sad.  He’s grinning widely, and as the man who is so clearly his father gives him a pat on the back, he laughs, nodding and saying something back to him. 

As Dean waves goodbye to his father and brother, Cas turns and hurries away, not wanting Dean to see that he’s just spied on this relatively private moment.  He dashes down to the green room, halting in front of the chair holding his things only moments before Dean enters the room.  The people in the room give a small chorus of cheers, stopping abruptly after a moment, and then Cas hears Jo say –

“Dean, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, voice slightly hushed.  “I, um – I was just talking to my dad.  I – I didn’t think he’d come, but he did.  And he – he told me that he was, um – that he was proud of me.”

“Aw, I’m really happy for you, Dean!” Jo says, and the two of them laugh a little.

Cas looks around as they walk past him, arms around each other.  His mind is going a million miles a minute as he tries to make sense of what he just witnessed.  He never knew, never once suspected there were any issues at home.  Of course, everyone knows that Dean’s mother died when he was very young, but he rarely talks about his father.  Cas supposes that should be an indication that there’s something going on there, but he never thought about it.

He runs a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath, begins packing up his things.  He’s nearly finished when Charlie approaches him.

“Hey, Cas?”

He doesn’t turn around.  “Yeah?”

“You’re coming to the after party, right?  At the Roadhouse?”

He stops, looking back at her.  “Am I invited?”

Charlie rolls her eyes.  “Duh – everyone is.  Cast, crew – everyone.  So let’s get going, Romeo.”

Cas hesitates, looking nervous.  “Charlie, I don’t – I don’t think I can – “

She sighs heavily, reaching out and resting a hand on his shoulder.  “If you’re worried about Dean, don’t be.  Okay – _everyone_ is going to be there, I promise.  You won’t have to be alone with him – unless you want to,” she adds, waggling her eyebrows.

Cas scoffs.  “He won’t even notice I’m there.”

Charlie smirks, retracting her hand.  “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Cas isn’t convinced, but he figures it’s worth a shot.  He tells Charlie he’ll be just a second, and then they can walk out to their cars together and head to the party.

.

.

_Part III – The After Party_

The after party isn’t like a normal party.  It’s just people crammed into the restaurant, shooting pool and talking as bad pop music blares in the background, Jo’s mom running around and restocking food and drinks.  She chats with everyone, jokes around, and Cas finds her to be a delight.

Currently, he’s sitting in a chair against the wall, watching as a bunch of guys play pool.  Dean hasn’t shown up, but Cas isn’t worried.  He doesn’t expect Dean to.  Maybe he’s gone home, gone to spend time with his family.  Cas can have fun on his own, right?  Yeah, sitting here, sipping on Coke – it’s great fun.

Cas sighs, staring down at his cup.  He’s not really one to go to parties.  Social situations make him anxious, and he prefers the comfort of solitude to the exhausting presence of others.  Of course, Dean’s an exception, so he’s not abiding by his normal rules tonight.

There are a couple of instances where Charlie comes over to him, asking if he wants to join her and Jo and their group of friends, but they’re gossiping, and that’s not really Cas’ thing.  (He’s not sure what exactly _is_ his thing, but it does not involve enduring a rigorous investigation as to what his feelings towards Dean are.)

About twenty minutes after Cas arrives the doors open once again, but there’s a chorus of _hey!’s_ as someone steps inside.  A couple of wolf whistles pierce the air, and as people congratulate a great performance of Link Larkin, Cas knows Dean has arrived.  Somehow, he manages to squeeze through everyone until he finds Jo and begins talking with her.  Cas curses himself for not taking any of Charlie’s offers.  He’d be over there right now, possibly talking to Dean, but instead he’s slouched in a chair with a half-empty cup of Coke, trying to look anywhere else so he won’t stare.

Dean makes his rounds, talking to most of the cast and crew members, taking congratulations graciously and giving out his own.  He doesn’t stop to talk to Cas, however.  Instead, he gets distracted by Ellen Harvelle, who pulls him into a tight hug and tells him how incredible he was.  He blushes as she ruffles his hair, but Cas can tell Dean appreciates the attention.  (Maybe and especially given the scene Cas witnessed earlier.)

About a half hour after Dean arrives, Victor calls together a game of crud.  Cas stays firmly in his spot until Charlie comes over and hauls him upward, demanding that he be on her and Jo’s team.  He doesn’t have a chance to argue as everyone crowds around the pool table and Charlie drags him over to where Jo’s standing, turned and motioning for someone to come over and join them.

“Is it cool if Dean’s on our team?” she asks, and Cas feels his body temperature quickly rising. 

He ducks his head a little as Dean steps up beside Jo, hands in his pockets as he grins. 

“Does everyone know how to play?” Charlie asks, and Cas could kick her as she continues, “Cas, have you ever played this?”

“No,” he admits reluctantly, and Dean’s quick to respond.

“It’s super easy,” he assures.  “Here, I’ll explain to you as they set up.”  Jo backs up to let him through as he moves over to where Cas is standing.  “So we take one colored ball and the cue ball and the whole object of the game is to keep the colored one rolling by hitting it with the cue ball.  You just roll it across the table at the colored one and try to hit it.  If you can’t get to it in time, you lose a life.  Everyone gets three lives – well, you get four because you’re a virgin.”

Immediately, Cas feels himself blushing furiously.  “W – what?” he stutters out.

“You haven’t played before,” Dean explains.  “So you’re a virgin to the game, and you get an extra life so you can get used to how the game works.  And in the end, the team with the last person standing wins.  Got it?”

“Y – yes,” Cas says, trying not to notice how hot he feels.

“I – I can go right before you,” Dean says.  “In our team order – just so I can help you out a bit and not worry about my turn.”

“Thanks,” Cas replies, nodding.  “That would be very helpful.”

Before Dean has the chance to reply, Victor calls everyone to order.

“Everyone got teams?”

There’s a small chorus of “yes”, and then Victor holds out the cue ball.

“Alright who’s starting?  Anyone got a coin?”

They do a series of coin tosses to figure out the order of the four teams, and it’s decided that Cas and Dean’s team is going second.  Victor’s team goes first, and Dean gives him a shove, hissing “cheater” before Victor launches the cue ball.  Charlie’s up next, snatching it up and hurling it across the table.

Cas watches vigorously until it’s Dean’s turn.  The last person had missed the colored ball, so Dean races to pluck up the cue ball.  He nails the colored ball at the last second, smirking as Victor says, “You’re lucky, Winchester.  You’re damn lucky.”

“Nah, I’m just skilled,” Dean replies before turning to Cas and saying in his ear,  “Alright, you’ll go after Lisa, so when you see she’s let go of the cue ball, wait to see whether it hits the colored one or not.  You don’t want to reach too early and crush your fingers.  When it’s done making contact, or it misses it, then it’s safe to pick it up, and then you just chuck it at the colored ball and hopefully you hit it.  Simple as that.”

Cas nods, poising himself.  Lisa’s ball does make contact, and as soon as it does, Cas is reaching for the cue ball.  He grabs it, and maybe a little too carefully slides it across the table.  It makes contact, but the ball rolls slowly.  Bela reaches for it, but she misses, and so does the next player.  Victor’s left racing, reaching for the cue ball, but it’s too late.  The colored ball has stopped.

“Yes!  Cas, that was awesome!” Dean says, holding up his hand for a high-five.  Cas meets him in the air, grinning despite himself.

The game continues, and Cas discovers that he’s actually pretty good – which earns continuous praise from Dean.  However, during the fifth round, he hits a snag.  It’s Dean’s turn, and maybe he’s moving a little too fast, maybe he’s a little unsure of his angle of projection, but when he lets go of the ball, it hits the other side of the table and flies up, hitting Cas square in the face. 

The following bloody nose is almost instantaneous, and the game comes to screeching halt as Dean’s face falls and he rushes over to Cas, muttering, _“Oh, shit – man, I’m so sorry.  I – I didn’t mean to, Cas.  Oh, God – let’s go get you cleaned up.”_

“Real slick, Winchester,” Victor calls after him, and Dean doesn’t turn around as he gives him the finger.

In all honesty, it doesn’t even hurt that bad.  It’s just a small sting and a bruise he can feel flowering from the bridge of his nose.  And blood.  _A lot_ of blood.  Dean brings him to the bathroom in the back of the restaurant, parking him in front of the sink as he grabs a bunch of paper towels for Cas. 

“Here you go,” he says, taking a second to look at the damage he’s done.  He frowns as he gets a look at the blood staining Cas’ hands and the front of his shirt.  “Oh, God – I’m so sorry, Cas.”

“It’s fine,” Cas replies, voice muffled by the bloody towels.  “I know you didn’t mean to.”

Dean grabs a few more paper towels and runs them under cold water.  “Supposedly, cold water is supposed to get blood out of clothes,” he says, and then turns towards Cas.  “We’ll find out.”  He dabs at the stain at the front of Cas’ shirt, and it makes a bit of a difference, but no matter how hard he tries, there’s still a small blotch of rusty color on his shirt.

“It’s good enough,” Cas says, and Dean stands up straight with a sigh.

“I’m _really_ sorry.”

Cas almost laughs.  “Seriously, Dean – I’m fine.  Look – “ he pulls the towels away, sniffling, “the bleeding has stopped.”

“And the bruising has started,” Dean replies.  “You’re gonna have like two half-black eyes.”

Cas shrugs.  “I’ll live.”

Dean hangs his head, laughing bitterly to himself.  “Oh, man – Victor’s right.  I’m _so_ slick.  This was really, _really_ smooth.”

Cas’ eyebrows knit together, and he shifts his weight, confused.  “Dean - ?”

“I knew I’d screw it all up before I even got the chance to do anything,” he continues.  Dean lifts his head, meeting Cas’ eyes.  His face is a little too close to comfort, but Cas can’t even ask for a little space, because before he knows what’s happening, Dean is kissing him.  Gently, carefully, he’s kissing Cas, reaching his hand up to slide it behind Cas’ head as he pulls Cas closer. 

It takes Cas a second to respond, but then he’s opening his legs up, inviting Dean in.  He wraps himself around Dean, tucking his calves behind Dean’s thighs and slinging his arms around Dean’s neck.  They revel in this feeling, the sparks that fly as they kiss and hold and touch other, for only a moment or two more before Cas pulls back, fully realizing what’s happening.

“Wait,” he says.  “Wait – what – what are you doing?”

Dean stares back at him, unsure.  “Kissing you – what does it look it like?”

“Why?” Cas asks, still not entirely getting it.

Dean laughs then, hanging his head for a second before he looks back up, moving his face close to Cas’ again.  “Seriously, Cas?  You haven’t noticed my fucking huge-ass crush on you?  Everyone else told me I was being really, _really_ obvious”  He leans in for another kiss, but Cas presses his hand gently against Dean’s chest, holding him back just barely.

“You’re telling me that you – you like me?” Cas asks.

“That’s what I was implying,” Dean says, smirking.

“For how long?”

Dean thinks for a fraction of a moment.  “Well, since Charlie started training you in, I guess.”

At that, Cas’ head really starts spinning.  That means it’s been three months.  Three months Dean’s had a crush on him, and for three months Cas has felt completely invisible.  He didn’t even think Dean knew him, but as it turns out, it’s been quite the opposite, and Cas can’t wrap his head around it.

“Why – why didn’t you say anything?” Cas asks incredulously.

Dean chuckles again.  “Cas, you – you’re the star of the track team.  You got a fucking state record last year.  Every girl in the school has a poor, impossible crush on you, and I’m pretty sure a few guys do too – including me.  You’re adorable – “ He punctuates the word with a kiss – “You’re funny” – some tongue – “You’re sweet” – a nip  on Cas’ bottom lip – “And you’re so, so _hot_.”  A hand comes up Cas’ thigh, and _wow,_ Cas suddenly notices that he’s hard, cock itching to be free of his jeans.  “You’re way out of my league,” Dean growls against his mouth, and Cas squeezes his eyes shut tight for a moment to allow himself to think.

“Wait,” he says again, and Dean lets out a noise of frustration.

“I wish you’d quit saying that,” he sighs.

“You think I’m out of your league?” Cas asks, raising an eyebrow.  “Because I disagree with that.  I mean – you’re – you’re obviously the best singer in concert choir, you’ve been the lead in the musical two years running – and you’re a _junior_ , and you dated Lisa Braeden, head cheerleader.  I’m not way out of your league.  You’re way out of mine.”

“Hmm,” Dean says, sliding a finger through one of Cas’ belt loops.  “Maybe we’re both wrong.  Maybe we’re just – perfect for each other.”  He pulls, tugging Cas’ even closer.  “Should we find out?”

Cas smirks, finally giving in.  _“Yes.”_

.

.

A full thirty minutes later, Cas and Dean exit the bathroom with ruffled hair and swollen lips.  The party’s back in full swing, and as they re-enter the room with interlocked fingers, they’re welcomed to a round of cheers, and of course, Charlie and Victor are extra vicious and more than just a little smug.


End file.
